Nigerian Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceived Influence of Social Media Platforms On Undergraduates’ Behavioural Patterns: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the perceived influence of social media platforms on undergraduates’ behavioural patterns through the perspective of preservice teachers. Questionnaires were administered to three hundred and twenty (320) undergraduate students from two state-owned universities in Nigeria. Data were collected with a structured questionnaire and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software was used for the statistical analysis. The findings showed that over 66% of the respondents surveyed said they used popular platforms like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and TikTok daily. The result indicates that a significant portion of the undergraduate preservice teachers engages with social media multiple times daily. The study also found some differences in use between male and female students, and in the influence of age and academic levels on their perceived impacts of social media. A few suggestions were made in relation to the findings.

Keywords

• pre-service
• teacher
• social media platform
• behavioural pattern
• undergraduate
• nigeria